Once Upon A Time
by tsukiryoushi
Summary: We all know the old stories... Beauty and The Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen... but what we don't realize, is that all these tales came from one story... this is the true tale, behind the fairy tales.
1. Once Upon A Time

-Once Upon A Time-

--Chapter One--

The moon shone down across the land, bathing everything in its silvery light. It was nights like this that he enjoyed most.

He looked down from his perch in a high tree branch, and reveled in the nocturnal beauty, the only beauty he could truly appreciate any more.

He looked down at his hands—if they could be called hands anymore—and growled at the sight of his long claws. To think, just two years ago he had been considered the most handsome man in his hometown, and because of his family name he was perhaps the most eligible bachelor for miles around. And now? Now he had been reduced to wandering the countryside, a monster forced to hide his hideous face from the world. And all because of a woman…

---

_From the moment he had seen her, he had become captivated by her beauty. No one knew where she had come from, or who she was, but he knew she was beautiful, and that was all he cared about._

_He followed her from the local inn to a secluded area, near the forests surrounding the town._

_Finally, he managed to catch up to her, and approached her in a suave manner._

"_Good evening," He said, giving a small bow. "I am Victor Beaumont, and I couldn't help but notice your beauty. Pray, what is your name, fair maiden?"_

_The mysterious woman just laughed. "My, you are bold, aren't you?" She said. "And just what makes you think I would be interested in telling you my name?"_

"_Why shouldn't you be?" He asked in reply. "Surely you know of my family's wealth. And I am considered to be quite handsome. It seems only fitting to me that I should be acquainted with a woman as beautiful as yourself."_

_The woman laughed again. "You make a good speech… but you're such a young fool." She approached Victor slowly. "I could just as easily be an old hag in disguise. Would you be so inclined to know me then?"_

"_Perhaps not." Victor smiled as the woman approached him. "But I doubt you could be a hag. Only a witch could disguise herself so well."_

_At that, the woman just grinned, as she placed a hand on his shoulder. She moved ever closer, until she was finally close enough to whisper in his ear. "Once again, you make an assumption. How are you so sure I'm not a witch?"_

_Victor was about to reply, when he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and staggered back to find he'd been stabbed. The woman stepped back as well, holding up a strange looking dagger. He placed a hand over the wound, which was seemingly over his heart, but was surprised when he didn't feel any blood coming out._

_Suddenly, his entire body became wracked with pain, as though some kind of venom were coursing through his veins. He fell to his knees, and howled in pain, and looked down at his hands to see them undergoing a terrible transformation._

"_If there's one thing I hate more than anything else…" The woman said with a sneer, as she watched Victor suffer. "…is vanity." Victor growled in anger, and glared at the woman, but she just laughed down at him._

_Finally, he succumbed to the pain, and collapsed. The last thing he saw before blacking out… was her cruel, but beautiful face._

---

A growl escaped Victor's lips at the bitter memory. He would never forget awaking the next morning and returning to his own home, only to be feared by his own mother, and shot at by his own father. He had been made a monster by that witch—he knew now that was what she was—and he had been that way ever since. An inhuman beast.

He sighed sadly to himself, and sat back in the tree, as a calm breeze blew past, ruffling his fur a bit. He resembled a humanoid wolf, with dark fur, and yellow eyes, and a long bushy tail which hung down from the branch he was seated on.

_I've been searching for that witch for nearly two years now. _He thought to himself. _Perhaps I'm never going to find her… maybe I might as well resign myself to a life as a beast._

Just then, another breeze passed by, and on it came a scent… the scent of blood. Victor sat up with a start, and scanned the area. The scent was feint, probably from a minor wound, but he knew that it was human blood. And that meant there must be trouble. Quickly, and with incredible agility, Victor jumped from the tree, and ran to find the source of the scent.

---

Nearby, on an old dirt road, two bandits had captured a young girl, and the ugliest bandit, a man with a matted beard and an eye patch, grabbed her wrist and forced her against a tree.

The girl winced from the pain her arm was in, both from the force of the bandit's grip and from the wound his knife had inflicted, but she didn't make a sound.

"Oy, why don't she scream?" The second bandit, a fat man with several missing teeth and no hair, asked his companion.

"How should I know?" The first bandit barked back. "But it don't matter none, do it?" The ugly man held his knife to the poor girl's throat and laughed. "If you're smart, you'll keep quiet, you hear me?"

The bandit looked the girl over, with an evil grin. She had a very pretty face, and a fair complexion. Her eyes were a deep blueish green, and her hair was almost the same shad, and went down to her shoulders. There was also a slight curl to her hair.

The bandit looked hungrily at her, and grinned, showing off his rotting, yellow teeth. "Well, she may not have much money on her," He said. "But I think we can find a use for her, ey? Haha!"

Just then, the bandits heard a low growl, and looked around in fright.

"Wha' the…" The fat one gasped. "Wha' was that? A wolf?"

"Don't be daft!" The bearded one snapped back. "Ain't no wolves around these parts!"

But then, they heard a rustling in the bushes, as though something big were approaching. Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped again.

After a pause, the bearded man finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Well…" He said. "Whatever it was, it's gone now."

The other bandit sighed, too, but then a large wolf-like creature lunged from the bushes and tackled him, knocking him to the ground and then throwing him into a nearby tree as though he were a rag doll.

At the sight, the bearded bandit gasped and his one eye nearly bulged out of its socket. "A werewolf!" He let go of the girl and tried to run, but Victor jumped into the air and landed in front of the frightened bandit.

The bandit tried to strike the beast with his knife, but the werewolf simply swatted the weapon out of his hand, and clawed his chest.

The man fell back from the blow, and tried to run, but Victor picked him up and threw him, as he did the first bandit.

Now, with both bandits lying unconscious on the ground, Victor turned with a sneer to walk away, leaving the girl to stare after him.

_Worthless scum._ He thought to himself. _To attack an innocent girl like that. I don't know why I didn't just tear them limb from limb._

Suddenly, Victor heard the sound of footsteps behind him, and turned to see the girl following behind, looking like a lost puppy.

"What do you want?" He growled. When the girl didn't answer, he just sighed in annoyance. "Look, stop following me. I'm a big scary werewolf, so just run on home, why don't you?" Victor turned to walk away again, but still heard the girl follow him. With a growl he turned to confront her. "Look, I saved you, but I don't need a tagalong, got it?!" The girl flinched when he yelled, but didn't answer. "Why don't you say anything, anyway? Can't you talk?"

The girl lowered her gaze and shook her head sadly. Victor backed off a bit and calmed down, feeling rather bad for yelling at her.

"Oh… I see." He finally said. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. But look, I don't want you following me, okay?" The girl looked back up at him, a pleading look in her eyes. Victor began to wonder why such a delicate looking girl was out in the forests at night anyway. All he did know though was that if she got herself into another bad predicament she might not be so lucky again. Finally, he growled in defeat and turned away. "Fine, you can follow me, but only till you can get to a town or something. Let's go."

Vincent walked off, and the girl followed, smiling in appreciation.

_What am I doing…? _He asked himself, as he followed the long dirt road, the mysterious girl close behind.

---

Deep within an icy palace, high up in the mountains, an armored figure walked along a long, empty hallway, towards a large door with the image of a tree on it. He opened the door and walked into a large thrown room, overrun with ice and snow. The room was so cold that his breath billowed out like smoke when he breathed, and frost formed on his blue armor.

He came to the center of the room and faced a gigantic throne. He kneeled before the throne, and the woman that sat in it.

"What news do you have for me…?" The woman asked.

The armored man turned to look up at the woman. She was dressed in a flowing white and blue gown, and her raven hair fell to her back. Her lips were a deep red, but her skin was incredibly pale, like the snow that surrounded her, and her eyes were icy blue.

"We still have not found it My Queen." He finally answered. "We have searched all across the lands, but there is no trace of it."

"Then search harder!" The woman commanded, standing from her throne. "I will have that wand, do you understand?"

The armored man stood and held a hand to his heart, in salute. "It shall be done, I swear!" he vowed. "For the honor of the kingdom, and the mighty Queen Zephyr… the Snow Queen!"

The Queen smiled upon hearing this. "Very well. Then go, and begin your search anew." The man bowed and turned to leave, but stopped when the Queen spoke again. "And remember, my brave knight," She said. "Once we have the Wand of Merlin… the world shall be ours to command."


	2. Sink Or Swim

Well, here's chapter 2. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and a big thanks to those who pointed out the fact that I'd made errors in the last chapter. I may have mad errors in this one, too, if so forgive me, and I promise to watch for them more carefully from now on!

Enjoy!

* * *

--Chapter Two--

Morning came, and saw two figures sitting in the woods. One, a girl, sleeping against a tree and the other, a werewolf, standing by a fire.

Victor threw more wood onto the small fire and built a spit over the flames to cook the fish he had just caught from a nearby stream. He thanked his lucky stars every day he was still human enough to cook his meat before eating it.

He was placing the fish on the stick to cook them when he heard a sound and turned to look at the girl. She had turned over, but was still fast asleep.

Victor shook his head and sighed, as he continued tending to their breakfast. Why hadn't he left her there when he woke up? For that matter, why was he letting her tag along at all? He just didn't know.

As the fish began to cook, the scent reached the girl's nose and she slowly opened her eyes. She sat up and stretched her arms a bit before moving closer to the fire and giving Victor a warm smile.

"Food's almost ready." He told her, trying to ignore her smile. "You like fish?" The girl nodded, and looked hungrily at the fish. "Alright, well it'll take just a little while to cook—hey!" To Victor's surprise, the girl grabbed on of the fish from the spit and began to eat it, scales and all, before it was even cooked!

The girl seemed to be enjoying the raw fish, but seemed to realize how much Victor was staring and gave a sheepish grin. Victor just shook his head and continued to cook the rest of the fish. "You must be awfully hungry." He said, more to himself than the girl.

The rest of their breakfast passed in silence, and once it was finished Victor stood and put out the fire.

"Time to go." He said, and began walking again. The girl quickly tossed aside the remains of her breakfast and jumped up to follow. Victor sighed and looked back at her, feeling like he'd unintentionally adopted a pet or something.

But as he watched, he noticed the girl seemed to have a slight limp, and she winced every now and then as though she were uncomfortable. He'd been noticing this ever since the previous night. He didn't know why, but for some reason she seemed to be in pain.

Finally, he decided he'd find out, and stopped to turn towards her. "Is something wrong?" He asked. She shook her head in reply, and he folded his arms. "You're lying. I can tell something is wrong, because you keep limping." She shook her head again, and Victor just sighed. "Fine, then let's keep going."

He began to walk on again, and the girl quickly followed. Though she continued to limp the entire way.

---

The entire day passed relatively uneventful. Victor continued to follow the stream, and the girl followed close behind.

They stopped again at around noon, and Victor caught more fish, but this time the girl didn't even bother letting him cook the fish at all before she ate them. Victor found this very odd indeed, but didn't bother questioning her about it.

The two then kept traveling along until the sun finally began to set again, and they came to a large lake, surrounded by large willow trees, which looked like giant curtains around the water. Victor found a suitable place to sleep nearby and built a fire, which he and the girl sat close to, as the air began to get colder. Victor, after catching yet another batch of fish, decided it was wisest to set aside a couple of fish for the girl to eat raw, as was her apparent preference, and then cooked his own.

After they had finished their meal, Victor found a spot for himself in the branch of a tree, as was his custom, and settled in for the night. He looked down and saw that the girl had taken up residence just below him, leaning against the trunk to get comfortable.

_There's something very strange about this girl…_ He thought, as he closed his eyes. _Well, no matter. Once we reach a town, it will all be over, and I can get back to my own search. Still… I suppose it was nice to have some company for once, even if she was a mute. _With that thought, Victor drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, the girl stayed wide-awake, almost as if she were waiting for something. She looked up at Victor, and, after she was certain he was asleep, stood up and made her way to the lake.

---

Some distance away in a nearby town, in a seedy tavern, the usual assortment of thieves and crooks had assembled to drink and fight. Two characters in particular seemed to be making the loudest ruckus, as they recounted their "brave tale" to the bar maid.

"I tell ya, it must have been, what? Ten feet tall!" The one-eyed bandit bragged, before taking another drink of ale. "And it had long, razor sharp fangs, just dripping with drool! Me partner and me were just minding our own business when the beast jumped out of the woods and attacked us. We fought it off, but me partner here was soon overtaken by the beast."

"Really." The bar maid said, thoroughly unimpressed.

"Aye. I continued to do battle with the monster, but it slashed open me chest, and ran off afore I could deliver the finishing blow!"

"Oy!" The bearded man's bald friend shouted. "Wha's the big idea, making me out to be the bloody fool in this story?"

"Because you are a bloody fool," The bearded bandit spat back. "That's why!"

"Really?" Both bandits turned to see a figure in a red hooded cloak sitting nearby, shaking their head. "It sounds to me like you're both a couple of fools. However, if you have any idea where this beast you encountered went, I might be interested in hearing it."

The one-eyed bandit looked the hooded stranger over, and laughed. "And why would I be tellin' you that?"

The stranger stood and approached the two bandits slowly. Suddenly, the stranger kicked the bald bandit right out of his chair, then overturned their table and lifted the bearded bandit by the collar. "Tell me where the creature went—Now!"

"Wait a minute!" The bandit gasped out. "I don't know where it went exactly, but I could tell you where we saw it! Maybe you could still track it from there!"

"I believe that would be of immense help. Now then, where did you encounter the beast?"

"On the old dirt road… just a mile from here, near the woods."

"Thank you, very much." The stranger threw the bandit across the room, where he crashed into another table.

The stranger then turned to the terrified barmaid and tossed her a few golden coins to pay for the damages and walked out. Meanwhile, a crowd had gathered to look the situation over, including the tavern's owner.

"Who… who was that?" The barmaid asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" The Tavern owner replied. "Only one person wears a blood red cloak like that and goes after monsters. My bet is that that was the infamous werewolf hunter… The Red Hood."

---

Victor woke with a start and looked around. He had heard the sound of a splash from the lake, thanks to his acute hearing, and was surprised to see that the girl was no longer lying at the bottom of the tree.

"Where did she go now…?" He asked himself.

He jumped to the ground and scanned the area. He knew it was possible she had just decided to take a swim in the lake, but why would she do that so late at night? He decided he'd better investigate and made his way to the edge of the lake, where he found the girls clothes.

But strangely enough, he didn't see her anywhere. The surface of the water was very calm, and the girl was nowhere in sight. If she was in the water, she must have dived below the surface quite some time ago. But that would mean…

"Wait… she wouldn't have." He said to himself. "Would she…?" He looked around again, but when he still didn't see her he growled. "I knew she was going to be trouble!" Victor stepped back a few feet, and took a running jump and dived into the water.

He swam under the surface, trying to spot some sign of the girl before it was too late, but soon had to go up for air. He swam to the surface and floated there for a moment, catching his breath, when he felt a current from something swimming nearby. He tried to look and see what it was, but only caught a glimpse of a green tail before it swam away.

_Whatever that was, _He thought. _Must have done something to that girl._

Victor immediately dived again and swam after the creature. It was hard to catch up to it, as it was a very fast swimmer, but he finally caught up to it and was able to grab hold of its tail. He hauled the creature to the surface of the water and dragged it close to the water's edge.

"Alright you," He said, as he dragged the creature to the shore. "Let's see just what you… huh?"

Victor couldn't believe his eyes as he looked at what he'd dragged from the water. It had pale green, scaly skin, and a fish's tale, but its upper body was like that of a human girl… but most surprising of all was the fact that it's face and hair was the same as the girl! The only real differences being her skin, and that her ears resembled fins.

"What… what are you?" He asked her, letting go of her tail and allowing her to swim back into the water.

The girl—or whatever she was—swam a short distance away to be in deeper waters and turned to Victor with an embarrassed smile. "I… I guess I have some explaining to do." She said, shocking Victor even more.

"You can talk?!" He asked. "Why didn't you ever talk before? And why do you look like a fish now?"

"Technically, I'm not a fish." She corrected. "I'm a mermaid. And… it's kind of a long story."

Victor just sighed and sat down on the lake shore. "Well, you spent the entire day not talking to me, so let's just consider this as making up for lost time, shall we?"

The mermaid nodded and swam closer to Victor. "Well," She began. "I have this spell on me that allows me to be a human most of the time. But when I'm in water I turn back into a mermaid."

"A spell? How'd you get a spell put on you? And why couldn't you talk when you were human?"

"A witch cast the spell on me, because I asked her to. But… there was a price. You see, when I'm a human I give up my voice, and become mute. I'm really sorry I didn't let you know sooner. I would have if I could have."

Victor scratched his chin and let this information soak in a bit, before finally saying, "Well, that explains why you ate that fish raw. I suppose merpeople don't have the option of cooking their food." He laughed a bit. "Well no wonder you didn't mind the fact that I'm not human, considering you aren't, either."

"Actually… to tell the truth you did scare me at first. But you saved my life, so I thought you couldn't be all bad."

"Well… you still don't know that for a fact, do you?" Victor stood and paced a bit. "So, how come you kept limping? Haven't gotten your land legs yet?"

"No, that's not it. I've been able to become a human for over a year now. It's just…" The mermaid sighed sadly. "You see… another part of the price I pay is that each step I take causes me pain."

Victor stopped pacing and turned to the mermaid. "Pain?"

The mermaid nodded. "Every step I take feels like I'm walking on a razor's edge…" She turned to Victor and gave him a small smile. "But after a year I've become accustomed to the pain, so it's not that bad."

Victor stared at the mermaid girl before him, and couldn't help but feel bad for her. To spend most of her time in silence and in pain… that must have been a terrible curse.

"Why in the world would you want to become human if it comes at such a high price?" He asked. "Being a mermaid can't be that bad."

"It's… it's complicated." She replied. "I'd rather not discuss it…"

Victor would have pressed the issue… but it seemed to cause her pain. And for some reason he didn't want to do that, so he dropped the subject. "Well, I'm going back to bed." He said, turning away from her. "Try not to wake me again or I'm leaving you here in the morning."

"Um… okay." The mermaid replied. Victor was about to walk away, but stopped when he heard her say "Wait, I never got to ask you your name."

He turned to her for a moment and replied, "Its Victor."

The mermaid smiled. "It's nice to properly meet you Victor. My name is Mia."

Victor nodded. "Very well then. Goodnight Mia." And with that, he went back to bed, leaving Mia to her swimming.


	3. Frog in Your Throat?

Sorry for the wait. Here's chapter 3!

--Chapter Three--

Another morning came, and after another breakfast of fish, Victor and Mia continued on their way. But not before Mia gave a final, regretful glance back at the calm lake waters.

Victor noticed this, and felt a pang of guilt. "Hey," He called back. "Are you sure you'll be okay? I mean… if it hurts to walk…"

Mia turned to look at him, and gave a small smile and a shake of her head in response, as she was once again mute.

Victor hesitated a moment, but finally decided not to push the matter, and continued. Mia, despite the pain, followed faithfully as she did before.

Soon, the two reached the edge of the woods, and Victor breathed a sigh of relief. "Well Mia," He said, stopping to look across the landscape ahead. "There should be a village nearby. I'll just drop you off there, and I can finally get back to my quest." He turned to her with a grin, but she looked back with a sad frown. "What? I thought that was our deal? Why would you want to hang out with a werewolf anyway, even if I did save your life?"

Mia just sighed and shrugged her shoulders. She turned and looked out across the land, at the faraway mountains capped with snow, looming in the distance.

Victor sighed and shook his head. This was exactly what he _didn't _miss about women. "Look," He said in a soft voice. "I don't want to give you the wrong idea, but I really can't afford to have someone following me. I'm trying to find someone, and when I find them…" He looked down at his paws. "Well, let's just say it won't be pretty. Do you understand?"

Mia was still for a moment, gazing out at the mountains, before finally turning to give Victor a nod.

Victor smiled, gratefully, and for the first time he took a close look at her. He was amazed to see that her eyes, which he had at first thought were solid blue, were always fluctuating from one shade to another. It was almost like looking at the ocean itself. Another mermaid trait, he supposed, that she retained as a human, like her oddly colored hair.

He couldn't help but stare at those eyes, as though he were looking at sunken treasure, lying at the bottom of a calm sea. Finally, however, he managed to snap himself back to his senses when he heard a sound in a nearby bush.

Mia heard it too, and they both turned to the bush as it rustled.

Victor approached it, silently but swiftly, and crouched down next to it. He sat there, waiting like a predator stalking its prey, until there was another rustle. Moving with lightening quick reflexes, he jumped into the bush and jumped out again, with something in his paws.

"What?" He asked, as he looked down at his capture. "It's just a frog."

Mia approached and looked to see that it was, indeed, a little green frog. She slowly reached out her hand and touched the quivering creature on its head, petting it like one would pet a cat.

As she pet him, the frog finally stopped quivering in Victor's grasp and hopped into Mia's hands.

"Huh, imagine that." Said Victor. "It likes you."

"Of course I like her," The frog said, much to Victor and Mia's surprise. "She didn't attack me like some kind of mad dog!"

"You… you can talk?!" Victor demanded.

"Well sure." The frog replied, matter-of-factly. "Why not?"

"Maybe because you're a frog?"

"Oh, this coming from the giant sheepdog." The frog hopped down from Mia's hand and stood before her and Victor, on his hind legs.

"Oh, I get it." Victor said, finally coming to a realization. "You're one of those 'enchanted' animals, aren't you?"

"I suppose you could say that. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Croak, talking frog extraordinaire." Croak took a slight bow, and smiled up at Mia. "And what, fair damsel, is your name?"

Mia couldn't help but giggle at the absurd little frog, but Victor was less impressed. "Her name is Mia," He replied in an exasperated tone. "And she's mute. As for me, I am a werewolf with a very low tolerance for idiotic frogs. So if you'll excuse us, we have to find a village."

"A village? What for? It's not like someone as… unique as yourself could blend in too easily."

"_I _don't intend to blend in, Fly-Breath. Mia's the one who's going to the village, not me."

Croak hopped up onto Mia's shoulder and gave a charming smile. "Well, why didn't you say so?" He asked. "If it's for her sake, I'd be glad to lead you to the nearest village!"

"No, thank you," Victor replied. "I'd rather not trust the directions of something that can barely walk on two legs. Come on Mia."

Victor began to walk away, but stopped when he noticed Mia wasn't following. He turned back to see her standing with Croak on her shoulder, and an unsure look on her face.

"We don't need the toad's help Mia," He told her. "Don't worry."

"There's a village close to here," Croak continued. "But it's kind of small. If you're not sure of which way you're going there's a good chance you'll miss it."

Victor growled in annoyance and looked ready to turn Croak into frog's legs, but when he turned to Mia she looked back with a determined look in her eye.

"You can't be serious…" He muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Alright Frog, take us to this village. But after that, it's every werewolf, mermaid and frog for themselves, you got it?"

Mia and Croak both nodded. "Thanks for the chance, Fido." Said Croak. "But… who did you mean by 'mermaid'?"

"Never mind. Just get us to the village already."

Croak gave Victor a small salute in reply. "Alright then, head that way!" He pointed off into the distance, and Mia obediently walked in that direction. Victor gave a small growl before finally following along.

"How have I gotten myself into this mess…?"

---

Back down the trail, at the spot where Victor had rescued Mia in the first place, a horse rode up and came to a stop, allowing its rider to dismount.

The rider, the stranger wearing the red cloak from the tavern, knelt down and looked at the tracks in the dirt.

"Two sets of male human prints…" She said, as she lowered her hood to reveal her long, red hair and dark-green eyes. "One set of female human prints… and one set of wolf prints… bipedal wolf prints. There was a werewolf here alright." She stood and looked around, spotting each track in the dirt and reenacting each step in her mind, until she finally turned her attention down the trail.

"Strange…" She said to herself, as she examined the tracks leading down the trail. "It seems the female… is traveling with the werewolf. What kind of fool would do that?" She raised her hood back over her head again and returned to her horse. Spurring the horse on, she swiftly followed the tracks, knowing she was now hot on the trail.

---

"Not much further." Croak announced, as he led Victor and Mia. "We should see the village any minute now."

"Finally." Said Victor. "So, just how does a talking frog happen to know the way to this village, anyway?"

Croak paused a moment, looking very unsure of how to answer. Finally, he just shrugged his shoulders. "I just… do I guess." He replied. "That's all."

"Right…" Victor replied, not at all believing the amphibian, but not caring either. "Well, all that matters is that you get us there. After that, I'll be free to go about my business."

"I never realized werewolves had business." Croak said thoughtfully, glad to change the subject. "Just what exactly would your business be, anyway? Are you a tradesman, a performer, what? Personally, I think you'd make a great performer, or at least an attraction."

"My business is just that," Victor snapped back. "_My _business! So keep your non-existent nose out of it!"

Croak's eyes went wide, as though he had been taken aback by the comment. "Is he like this all the time?" He asked Mia. In reply, Mia nodded with an amused grin.

Just then, Mia looked forward, and saw a village ahead. Victor saw it as well, and smiled at the sight. "Well, looks like this is it." He said, turning to Mia. "Good luck. I hope things work out for you."

Mia looked back at him and nodded. She had a sad look on her face, even though she was trying to smile.

"Oh, and as for you," Victor added to Croak. "I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but it wasn't."

"Oh, be still my breaking heart." Croak replied sarcastically. "Honestly, what's your problem? Your mother drop you on your head when you were born, or did you just not get enough love when you were a pup?"

Victor was about to snap back, but stopped when a scent reached his nose. He turned towards the village, where the scent was coming from, and didn't even have to turn to Mia to know she was looking curiously at him.

"Smoke." He explained, still smelling the air. Without another word, he rushed off at top speed towards the village, leaving Mia to chase after him.

When she finally caught up to him, they were within sight of the village, and Mia gasped at the sight of a large plume of smoke rising from the small group of buildings.

"What's going on?" Croak demanded. "Where's that smoke coming from?"

"I don't know." Victor replied. "But I'm going to find out. Mia, you stay here." But before he could run off, Mia grabbed his arm. He turned to look at her, and she shook her head. "Now is not the time to argue." He said, slowly but firmly. "You could get hurt."

Mia didn't budge, however, and held her grip on Victor's arm. Despite the fact that she was silent, Victor knew she was determined to follow, and heaved an annoyed sigh. "Fine, but don't get into any trouble! I don't want to have to keep saving you!" With that, Victor hurried to the village, and Mia followed as fast as she could, biting her lip in protest to the pain.

Croak, meanwhile, was holding on for dear life to Mia's shoulder, shouting all the way "Hey, don't I get a say in whether I go or not?!"

---

The villagers ran hurriedly to the burning houses, carrying water in whatever they had at hand to douse the flames. But try as they might, the more fires they extinguished, the more appeared.

The source of these flames was a tall figure wearing fiery red armor, adorned with flames. Using magic, he shot fire from his hands, and set each house he passed ablaze, without even another thought.

"I know someone here knows where it is!" He called out, in a taunting voice. "So tell me now, or the whole village goes up in smoke! Your choice!"

"Dante!" The armored figure, Dante, ceased his attack and turned around to see another armored figure. This one more heavily built, and wearing brown armor which seemed less polished than his companion's. "Don't be such a fool," the second figure said, his voice deep and strong. "We'll never find it if it burns up with these buildings. Didn't that ever cross your mind?!"

"Give me a break Caine!" Dante shot back. "I'm not a complete idiot! I'm keeping my flames under control; we just need to give these peasants some motivation!"

"All you're motivating is a riot! Now knock it off and search the houses—without burning them to the ground!"

Dante turned away angrily, but with a wave of his hand extinguished the flames. "There, are you happy now?"

"I won't be happy till we find what we came to find. If it's even here at all!"

"Just what are you looking for that's worth all this destruction?" Caine and Dante both turned to the source of the voice and found Victor walking calmly towards them.

"A werewolf?" Dante asked confusedly. "What business do you have here?"

"I was about to ask the same of you." Victor replied.

"That is not your concern." Said Caine. "Go now, and leave us to our search."

"Sorry, but I'm not exactly a fan of people who would burn down a village for their own gain."

Dante raised his hand angrily. "Why you…!" He was about to attack, when Caine grabbed his arm and shook his head.

"You continue the search," He said. "I'll handle this. I'd prefer we avoid a messy battle if you please."

Dante looked hesitant, but finally lowered his hand and stepped away. "As you wish…" He said begrudgingly, and walked off.

"You must forgive him." Caine said to Victor. "He's a little… over anxious." Cain lifted his hand and chanted a spell under his breath. Suddenly, the dirt and rocks around him floated to his hand, forming a stone battle axe.

Victor looked at the axe and smirked, as though he were only slightly impressed. "A magic user, eh?" He asked, as he flexed the muscles in his claws. "This should prove interesting."

"You have one final chance." Caine announced. "Leave now, and we can avoid all of this."

"You don't strike me as a fool." Victor replied. "So I think you already know my answer."

"Unfortunately, I do. Very well, I promise to make this quick!" Caine jumped into the air, amazingly agile for someone of his size, and brought his axe to the ground with crushing force.

Victor, however, merely jumped up out of the way and landed a short distance behind Caine. "And I'll make it even quicker!" He growled, as he ran to his armored foe and kicked him to the ground.

Caine got back up, just as Victor attacked with his claws, and was able to block the werewolf's attacks with his axe handle. Victor, finally tiring of this, grabbed the axe and tried to wrestle it from Caine's grasp.

The two pulled and pushed against each other, but seemed too evenly matched.

Just then, Victor noticed Mia run up, with Croak still on her shoulder. When she saw the danger Victor was in, she was about to run to his aid. "No, stay back!" Victor shouted, stopping Mia in her tracks.

The distraction was all Caine needed, and he delivered a devastating punch to Victor's jaw, sending him flying into a nearby building.

Mia and Croak looked on in horror as Victor fell to the ground, and his large foe advanced towards him.

Caine raised his axe high, and was about to bring it down on Victor's head, when he heard a loud explosion nearby. He turned towards it and growled when he saw a large cloud of smoke rising from a building which stood not too far away.

"Dante…" He grumbled. "When will you learn?" Releasing his spell on his axe and returning it to a pile of dirt and rocks, Caine rushed over to investigate, leaving Victor lying unconscious on the ground.

Mia quickly rushed to his side and shook him gently.

"Think he's dead?" Croak asked, earning a glare from Mia. "Sheesh! I was only asking!"

Mia shook Victor again and gently lifted his head as his eyes started to open. She looked down concernedly at him, but was relieved when he sat up and shook his head. "Where'd that man in the armor go?" He asked.

"He ran off that way." Croak replied. "But you're not going after him again, are you?"

Victor stood up with a groan. "Of course I am. He's not going to get away that easily!" Victor turned to Mia with a serious expression on his face. "And this time, stay out of danger!" Mia nodded and Victor rushed after Caine. Much to Croak's displeasure, Mia quickly followed again.

---

"What is going on here?" Caine demanded as he approached Dante, who was tossing balls of fire at a tall building.

"The map—it's here!" Dante replied.

"It is? How can you tell?"

"The entire structure has a magical seal over it, to ward off spells. I haven't been able to penetrate it. Now who would have cause to protect themselves so well, unless they had something of value?"

Caine looked the building over, noting the sign over the door which read "The Carabas Inn."

"I think you just might have something here." He said approvingly.

"So how do we get in if our magic can't get through?" Dante asked.

"Simple." Caine simply walked over to the door and kicked it down. "We do it the old fashioned way."

Dante laughed and the two armored men entered the Inn. Inside, all was quiet, and there wasn't a soul around.

Caine and Dante explored the dimly lit halls of the building, until they came to a large study, where the only illumination came from a small fire. Before the fire, there was a chair facing away from them, and in the chair sat a figure, silent and still.

"Welcome to the Carabas Inn, gentlemen." The figure in the chair said, without turning around. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"We're looking for a map." Caine replied.

"Well, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place, my friend. This is an Inn, and I don't sell maps. But I believe you can find a map of the area in the village archives."

"You know what map we mean. Otherwise, why would you have put up all these magical seals?"

The figure in the chair laughed to himself. "Ah, you don't beat around the bush, do you? Yes, I do know what map you mean. However, I don't think you'll be taking it now."

"And why not?" Dante demanded.

"Because, I'm about to receive another visitor."

Just as the figure said that, Victor lunged into the room and kicked Caine into the wall. "Did you miss me?" He asked.

"He may have," Said Dante, as he raised his hands. "But I won't!" Dante tried to throw fire at Victor, but he couldn't even summon a single spark. "What… what is this?!"

Caine regained his footing, and tried to summon his stone axe. But he failed. "This magic seal must be tampering with our magic." He said.

"Aw, what a shame." Victor said with a shake of his head. "Looks like you've been forced into a fair fight."

"Maybe, but I don't need magic to deal with you!" Dante growled. He unsheathed a dagger and lunged for Victor, but he simply side-stepped Dante and kicked him to the ground.

Caine turned to a nearby window. "Forget it Dante!" He called. "Let's go!"

"What?" Dante asked. "And leave without even putting up a fight?!"

"A fight now would be useless. We know where the map is, so let's go!"

Dante grumbled to himself, but followed Caine. The two ran to the window and broke through it to the outside.

Victor jumped out the window after them, but when he looked around, he found they were long gone. Cursing under his breath, Victor returned inside to see Mia and Croak enter the room.

"Is it over?" Croak asked in a low voice.

"They ran away." Victor replied. "I still have no idea who they were, but I did hear them mention a map. But what map are they after?"

"They are after a map which will lead to a certain item." The figure in the chair replied, causing the others to turn towards him. "They seek this item for their queen, who wishes to wield its great powers."

"How do you know all that?" Croak asked. "And who are you?"

"I know that, because I happen to be the map's current owner." The figure replied, and stood from the chair to face his guests. Victor, Mia and Croak were surprised when he turned to them and they saw that he looked like a black cat with a white muzzle, but stood six feet tall on his hind legs and wore a gray shirt, black pants and heavy leather boots.

"Allow me to introduce myself," He said with a bow. "My name is Sir Feral of Carabas. Welcome to my Inn."


End file.
